Jug Bay Natural Area
Managed by Maryland-National Capital Park And Planning Commission
1,437 acres18.7 mi of trail
Yellow-LoopBlue LoopRed LoopPurple Loop+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Croom
Croom has 2,975 acres of parks, 1,230 for every 1,000 residents
29% of Croom’s land is conserved, about 6,417 acres. 35 miles of mapped trail cross Croom, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Jug Bay Natural Area (18.7 mi), Patuxent River Park III (5 mi), Merkle Natural Resources Management Area and Visitor Center (3.5 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
6,417 acres · of 34.2 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,975 ac
1,230 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
44%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.1 mi
0.1 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
7
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Croom?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam1,230 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild29% of the land is conserved; a typical Maryland town, 9%.A trail town1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 81% of U.S. towns.History along the way6 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Croom have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Croom is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Croom’s overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (35 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land1,230 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,975 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home44% of residents within a half mile of a park · MD 87% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 91%
LessMore
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Croom’s 29% is ahead of 95% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 73% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Jug Bay Natural Area, with 18.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Patuxent River Park III
Managed by Maryland-National Capital Park And Planning Commission
422 acres5 mi of trail
Red LoopYellow-LoopService AccessSaint Thomas Road Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Merkle Natural Resources Management Area and Visitor Center
Managed by Maryland Park Service
1,483 acres3.5 mi of trail
Paw Paw TrailRed Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Croom Natural Resource Management Area
Managed by Maryland Park Service
103 acres1.3 mi of trail
Pistola-Not MaintainedRed LoopBlue-Red ConnectorService Access
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Jug Bay Natural Area1,437 acres · 18.7 mi of trail · Maryland-National Capital Park And Planning Commission
DirectionsPatuxent River Park III422 acres · 5 mi of trail · Maryland-National Capital Park And Planning Commission
DirectionsMerkle Natural Resources Management Area and Visitor Center1,483 acres · 3.5 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
DirectionsCroom Natural Resource Management Area103 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
Billingsley Natural Resource Management Area423 acres · Maryland Park Service
Cheltenham Wildlife Management Area10 acres · Wildlife and Heritage Service
Who protects it
6,417 conserved acres
29% of Croom’s land. Who manages Croom’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,678 ac
Other state land982 ac
State natural resources165 ac
State conservation143 ac
Regional agency111 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government111 ac
Not recorded4,813 ac
State Park · 2,089 acState Other or Unknown · 1,912 acConservation Easement · 1,165 acForest Stewardship Easement · 909 acLocal Other or Unknown · 803 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,493 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 80 of 175 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patuxent River Park (Jug Bay) State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1,610 | Unknown |
| Merkle Nrma State Park | Not recorded | 1,554 | Unknown |
| Billingsley Nrma State Park | Not recorded | 434 | Unknown |
| Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 316 | Unknown |
| MD National Capital Parks and Planning Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 274 | Unknown |
| Patuxent River Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 246 | Unknown |
| County Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 210 | Unknown |
| Mount Calvert Historic Site Local Park | Regional agency | 111 | Open |
| Croom Nrma State Park | Not recorded | 100 | Unknown |
| Charles Branch Stream Valley Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 46 | Unknown |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Croom
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Croom
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Croom
Jackson Landing Boat LaunchIn Jug Bay Natural Area
DirectionsSelby's Landing
DirectionsWhite Oak LandingIn Merkle Natural Resources Management Area and Visitor Center
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Croom
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Croom
Patuxent Park PavillionFee · In Jug Bay Natural Area
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Croom
Iron Pot LandingFee · In Billingsley Natural Resource Management Area · Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County
DirectionsJug Bay Natural Area CampingFee · In Jug Bay Natural Area · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsPatuxent River Park Canoe CampFee · In Jug Bay Natural Area · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsSelby's CampHours: closed · Fee · In Jug Bay Natural Area · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsWhite Oak Landing CampgroundFee · In Merkle Natural Resources Management Area and Visitor Center · Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
DirectionsTrails & water
16 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 23.4 miHorses · 11.5 miUnpaved · 24.1 mi
Yellow-Loop5.4 mi
Red Loop4.0 mi
Blue Loop3.0 mi
Purple Loop1.0 mi
Blue-Red Connector0.9 mi
Paw Paw Trail0.9 mi
Green-Blue0.7 mi
Service Access0.6 mi
Forest Rd.c0.5 mi
Saint Thomas Road Trail0.5 mi
6 more trails
Pistola-Not Maintained
0.4 miNot Maintained
0.3 miGreen Loop
0.3 miGreen Loop Spur
0.2 miConnector
0.2 miGreen-Blue Connector
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Green LoopBike route
1.1 miCourts & fields
3Baseball
2Tennis
1Equestrian
1Football
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Pleasant HillsBuilding · listed 1980
About itJohn W. Coffren House and StoreBuilding · listed 1987
About itWaverlyBuilding · listed 1987
About itBrookefield of the BerrysBuilding · listed 1987
About itSt. Thomas' ChurchBuilding · listed 2000
About itSt. Thomas' Episcopal Parish Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2011
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Croom: April to June and August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 44 | 48 | 56 | 67 | 76 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 80 | 69 | 58 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Croom →
Next door
Croom and its neighbors
Croom has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croom | 29% | 1.0 | 1,230 | 44% | A |
| Baden | 20% | 0.4 | 619 | 10% | B+ |
| Marlton | 11% | under 0.1 | 5 | 82% | C+ |
| Brandywine | 19% | 0.5 | 46 | 83% | A |
| Dunkirk | 20% | 0.9 | 120 | 74% | A |
| Cedarville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Marlboro Meadows | 27% | 0.4 | 115 | 94% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Croom
Where can I hike in Croom?
The longest trail networks: Jug Bay Natural Area, 18.7 miles; Patuxent River Park III, 5 miles; Merkle Natural Resources Management Area and Visitor Center, 3.5 miles; Croom Natural Resource Management Area, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Croom is conserved land?
29% of its land, against a typical 9% for a Maryland town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Croom’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Jug Bay Natural Area (on leash), Patuxent River Park III (on leash) and Croom Natural Resource Management Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Croom?
0.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes. Named routes: Green Loop.
Is there public land near Croom?
17,916 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Croom or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,975 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Croom have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Croom neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →